A New Life
by WolfWinks
Summary: Daphne likes her life, but when she meets a boy on the street it changes. Blaise always protects his best friend's little sister, but he can always lean a few more things. Harry has always wanted a family.


**Written for QLFC round 9 –** Write a story based on Lady and the Tramp. Bonus prompts: (quote) (quote) 'If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it' - Andy Rooney (object) tea leaves, (restriction) have exactly three characters feature.

 **OoO**

Sitting outside with the white picket fence and the trimmed hedges, Astoria smiled. With a small pot of tea and two teacups in front of her—one her mother was drinking out of—Astoria felt like a princess.

Astoria took another sip of tea and kept her gaze on the front of her house, but she saw Blaise the moment he stepped through the front gate.

"Mummy, Blaise is here!"

Astoria's mother chuckled. "You better go meet him then"

Astoria jumped up, dropped her teacup and barrelled into Blaise. "Look what I got!" Astoria lifted her chin and proudly showed off the new chain around her neck.

Blaise chuckled. "It looks lovely," he said. "Is your sister home?"

"She's at camp."

"Oh." Blaise seemed disappointed, but he quickly brightened when Astoria started to frown. "I guess I'll just have to spend all my time with you."

Astoria squealed and led Blaise to the tea party her mum had left out for her. "We can play so many games."

Blaise smiled and sat down. "Well, Lady Astoria, what's first?"

 **OoO**

Harry glanced to around. He kept his eyes wide and alert despite his blurry vision. Ever since he ran away from home (without his glasses, of course), he'd been dodging policemen and concerned adults. He was fine on his own.

 _Better than I would be at home, in any case._

Harry ran across the street and into an alleyway. He approached a large bin, and almost reached the lid when a door behind him opened.

"Hey!" a voice yelled out.

Harry ducked his head and ran without looking back. He heard the person following him, but he was a fast runner, so he quickly lost the man. When Harry finally looked up, he was in a neighbourhood with large houses and beautiful yards. Harry searched for a place he could disappear into, but he couldn't find anything.

Harry bowed his head and hoped no one would notice him, but a small voice caught his attention.

"Mr. Blaise, what a nice top hat." Harry heard a small giggle.

"Thank you, Lady Astoria. your hat is also very beautiful."

There was another giggle, and Harry found himself walking towards the happy voices. Looking around, he spotted a low fence in front of some bushes. He approached and climbed over the fence, and dropped into the bushes.

 **OoO**

Astoria had a wide smile on her face as she played with Blaise, who was holding the lid of the teapot open.

"I think we need some more tea," he declared.

"Oh! We have some here, but we'll need more water." Astoria frowned. Her mum said she wasn't allowed to touch the hot water.

"It's alright," Blaise said. "I can get the water. Can you put in more tea leaves?"

Astoria nodded and picked the small container up. "Okay." She lifted the lid off the container.

"I'll be back in a moment." Blaise disappeared into the house.

Astoria pulled the colourful hat from her head and picked up a spoon. She placed it in the container, but some movement in the bushes distracted her. Peering over, she spotted a pair of bright green eyes looking back at her. When the eyes realised she'd spotted them, they widened in fear.

Astoria, still holding onto the tea leaves, went over to investigate. She saw the eyes disappear, but she managed to catch the person before he climbed over the fence. "Hi," she said with a smile.

The boy dropped his eyes to the ground. "Hi," he mumbled.

Astoria took a step towards the boy, but he stumbled away from her. "I won't hurt you," she said, frowning at his reaction. "Do you want to play with me?"

The boy shook his head.

Astoria couldn't help feeling hurt. Everyone wanted to play with her. She felt her eyes water, and she sniffled. She put the tea leaves container on the ground to rub at her eyes. The boy looked up and his mouth fell open.

"Why are you crying?" he asked.

"You said you wouldn't play with me." Astoria was pleased to see the guilt in his eyes. "Can't we play just _one_ game together?" she asked in a pleading voice. It always worked on her daddy, so it should work on the boy.

The boy nodded, and Astoria's tears cleared instantly. "Yes!" She leaped forward, not noticing the boy's flinch, and tugged him towards the back yard. She accidently knocked over the tea container but quickly forgot about it when the boy tugged his hand out of her's.

"No!" he yelled.

Astoria stopped moving and looked at the boy in surprise. "What?"

"If you want to play with me, then we have to go somewhere else."

Astoria glanced to the street and then back to her house. "You mean leave the yard?"

"I understand if you don't want to," he said, nodding.

"I'll go, but not for long."

The boy lowered his eyes. "Okay," he whispered. "I'm Harry." He held out his hand.

Astoria giggled at the adult like action and held out her own hand. "Astoria Greengrass, it's nice to meet you."

Harry smiled at her—the first smile she'd seen on his face. "Nice to meet you, too."

 **OoO**

Blaise stepped back into the large yard, with a relieved sigh and a small smile. The Greengrass mother was always up for a chat, so it had taken him longer to collect the water. He looked around the backyard and frowned when he couldn't spot Astoria.

Blaise approached the table and spotted the discarded hat Astoria had been wearing. He couldn't see the container of tea leaves, though, so Blaise assumed she'd carried it with her. _But where did she go?_

Stepping around the table he saw some small footprints leading to some bushes near the fence. He followed them until he came across the fallen tea container. He lifted his eyes and frantically searched the streets.

"Hey!" Blaise called out when he saw Astoria running across the street, hand in hand with some boy. He jumped over the small fence and raced after them. He was not letting that little brat out of his sight.

 **OoO**

Harry approached the zoo with a smile. "I love it here," he said. "One time my baby sitter couldn't look after me, so I had to come here with my cousin." Harry turned to face Astoria with a bright smile. "I try to come here whenever possible, but I have to be careful."

Astoria frowned. "Why?" she asked.

Harry frowned as well, though for a different reason. He was scanning the fence around the zoo and looking for an opening. "Well, if someone realises I come here without an adult, I could be sent back home, and I don't want that."

"Why?" Astoria questioned again.

Harry looked up at the girl and tilted his head to the side. He knew that she had a happy home, but Harry didn't think it would last. One day, her parents would realise that they didn't want two children. When they realised that, Astoria would be left on her own. "I'm not wanted at home," Harry said, rather than saying all of that. He didn't want to scare her.

"That's mean."

Harry shrugged, ignoring the voice in his head that agreed with her. "It's just life. Ah, there it is." Harry dug his fingers into the soil and pulled the broken wire up so it was big enough to fit them. "Ladies first," he said, bowing at the waist.

Astoria giggled and stepped forward. "Why aren't we going in through the front?"

Astoria carefully tucked her dress in so it wouldn't get caught and crawled through the opening. "We're not allowed to." Harry followed Astoria and grinned "Where to first?"

 **OoO**

Blaise was surprised by how quick the two children were. The little boy that was dragging Astoria was very quick and good at disappearing. There were a few times that Blaise lost sight of the children, and he would panic until they appeared again.

When he finally was close enough to call out, they were just crawling under the fence of the zoo. Blaise was still across the street, but he took a deep breath and yelled.

"Astoria!"

Astoria twitched and turned around, but she didn't seem to spot him. The boy was also looking around and Blaise started to wave his hands in the air. The boy's eyes locked on his, and his posture tensed. He tapped Astoria on the shoulder and pointed towards Blaise.

Blaise let out a breath, and he crossed the road.

"Blaise!" Astoria smiled. "This is Harry. He's taking me to the zoo."

"Really?" Blaise raised an eyebrow at the boy who seemed to cower. "Did he tell you to leave the house?"

Astoria shifted on her feet. "I know I'm not suppose to leave, but Harry said if I wanted to play with him, then we would have to go somewhere else."

Blaise glared at the little boy. He had no idea what the child wanted with Astoria, but whatever it was, he wasn't going to get it. "Come out, Astoria. We're going home."

"But—"

" _Now_." Blaise waited until he was holding Astoria's hand and then turned to the boy. "You too."

"What?" The boy backed away from the fence.

"I said, come with us. I won't repeat it again." Blaise glared down at the boy, not at all affected by the way his skin paled or his eyes started to water.

The boy—after a slight pause—also crawled out of the zoo and Blaise grabbed his hand. The boy pulled away, but Blaise refused to let go.

"Now, let's go home."

 **OoO**

Astoria glanced between Blaise and her new best friend. Blaise was glaring at Harry, and was tugging on Harry's arm like it was a dog's leash. Harry would wince every time the boy tugged, but he kept his eyes lowered.

Astoria opened her mouth to tell Blaise to stop being mean, but one look from him had her closing her mouth again. He was mad at her for leaving, and she didn't want to make him any madder than he was. She still didn't like how he was treating her new friend, though.

"We're almost at home," Blaise announced. "When we get home, we will go inside and talk to your mum, Astoria. We are going to tell her exactly what happened and where you went. She's really worried about you."

"Please don't make me," Harry said.

Astoria looked over at Harry and saw his wide, frantic eyes and trembling frame. He was terrified, and Astoria couldn't keep quiet.

"Mummy doesn't need to talk to Harry, does she?" Astoria shifted on her feet as Blaise turned to her.

"Yes, she does." Blaise turned to Harry, and Astoria didn't like the way Harry cowered. "I will be making you, even if you're scared. In fact, you should be scared."

Astoria frowned, but she didn't say anything. It wouldn't help anyway, despite how her chest hurt at seeing Harry's fear.

 **OoO**

Harry could barely control his breathing as the house from earlier came into view. He knew what the older boy meant. Astoria's mother was going to punish him like his uncle would, then he would be sent back home.

There were two women outside the front gate. One looked a similar to Astoria, and the other had the same colour hair as the older boy, so Harry assumed the women were their mothers.

"Mummy!"

Harry watched with wide eyes as Astoria tore her hand out of Blaise's and ran across the road without looking. Everything seemed to slow down at that point. Harry saw Blaise's now empty hand reach out for Astoria, and their mother's horror. What really caught his attention, though, was the car that Astoria was about to step in front of.

"No!" Harry tore his own hand free and ran faster than he'd ever run before. He ran straight at Astoria who froze in shock. There was a screech of tires, and loud screaming, but Harry just ran right into Astoria and pushed her out of the way.

When the car impacted with his side and threw him along the road, he wondered if he was going to die. He didn't feel afraid or sad. In fact, he smiled. _Maybe I'll see my parents._

 **OoO**

Astoria started at the boy in the bed. Her mummy said that the boy would wake up when he was ready, but she wanted him to wake up now.

 _It's been three days, Mummy." She was sitting on her mum's lap next to Harry's hospital bed._

" _He's just not ready to wake up yet."_

" _When will he be ready?" Astoria asked. "I have to say thank you."_

 _Her mummy pulled her close and rested her head on Astoria's. "So do I, darling."_

A groan pulled Astoria out of her thoughts, and she turned to the bed. Harry's head was twitching and his eyelids were fluttering.

"Harry, are you going to wake up?" Astoria leaned over the bed. Her mummy wasn't here right now, and neither was Blaise or Mrs Zabini.

Harry groaned and his head rolled over. He didn't speak, but his dark green eyes opened

"Hi Harry. You've been asleep a really long time."Her heart warmed when his eyes landed on her.

"Astoria?" Harry blinked at her, and then again. He still looked disorientated.

"Yeah, you remember me, don't you?"

Harry nodded. "Did I save you, or are we both dead?" His head was still on the pillow, but his eyes were darting around the room now, taking everything in.

"You saved me." Astoria smiled. "Thank you for saving me."

Harry shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

Astoria watched as Harry tried to roll over but winced in pain. Astoria winced with him. "I better go call Mummy," she said, moving away from the bed. She reached the door and placed her hand on the doorknob, but she paused before turning it. "I'm so glad you're awake, Harry," she said before stepping out of the room.

"Mummy!" she called out, startling a few other people. She spotted her mum and Mrs Zabini staring at Blaise with wide eyes. They turned at her call.

"Harry's awake!"

 **OoO**

Blaise stared at the ground. He couldn't believe that the little boy he was so mean to almost died protecting Astoria. _I was only trying to protect her, and he ended up doing my job._ Blaise buried his head in his hands and let a few tears slip through his fingers. He wanted to do something to make it up to the boy. _Harry,_ he thought. _His name is Harry._

"They managed to locate the boy's family."

Blaise looked up when he heard Mrs Greengrass' words. He thought about going over there to listen, but he suspected he would be sent away.

"And? Where are they?"

"They told the police they were glad he disappeared and that they didn't want him back."

Blaise eye's widened and he stared at the woman. She was exhausted. Her and Blaise's mother had been looking after the boy around the clock. It was the least they could do after he saved Astoria.

"What? How could they treat their own family like that?"

Blaise wondered the same thing and he unconsciously leaned forward to make sure he didn't miss anything.

"I have no idea, but the police entered the house and found evidence of abuse. I don't know all the details, but they did say that the poor boy had been living in a cupboard under the stairs."

Blaise leaned back. He couldn't believe that there were people who were that disgusting. He looked back towards his mother and realised he missed what they said.

"He's got nowhere to go," Mrs Greengrass was saying. "I wanted to adopt him but we just can't handle another child, especially one with a past like poor Harry's."

A light bulb seemed to go off. Blaise knew how he was going to help Harry. It was a little unconventional, and his mother might take a lot of time to convince, but he thought it was the perfect solution.

Blaise stood and approached his mother. "Can we adopt Harry?"

 **OoO**

Harry looked in the mirror. His face was free of all bruises and scratches he'd collected from the accident. His broken arm was now healed, and the only evidence he'd been hurt at all was two small scars; one on his stomach where he needed twenty-five stitches, and another small one above his left eye.

Despite the new scars—and the aches he occasionally felt—he was happy. He could still remember the morning he woke up with Astoria smiling at him. He remembered feeling frightened, but most of all, he'd felt disappointed. He had wanted to see his parents when he woke up.

Now, he was glad he didn't die. Harry smiled as he thought about the people waiting downstairs. Mr and Mrs Greengrass, who had made sure he knew how grateful they were to have met him. Daphne Greengrass—Astoria's big sister—who cried on him when he first left the hospital. Astoria, who still liked to drag him everywhere to play games (thought they never left the garden without an adult with them).

 _And my new family._ Harry couldn't contain his joy as he thought about Mrs Zabini—who he wasn't ready to call 'Mum' yet, but he was getting close—and his big brother Blaise. Blaise had cried and apologised for being mean. Harry was surprised, and it took him a while to relax around Blaise, but he did, and Harry couldn't be any happier about having a big brother.

"Harry, breakfast!"

Harry ran his fingers through his hair to try and placed his new glasses on his nose. "Coming," he called. He pulled his bedroom door open wide and raced downstairs to meet his family. _My real family_.

 **OoO**

(w.c 2,994)

WolfWinks –xx-


End file.
